Jan Monroe, the President of Step VA, joined to share more about the organization and what it does for the community. Monroe explained, “Step VA is a nonprofit that was founded back in 2013. And it supports people with varying levels of disability. We focus on Theatre Arts because we understand how empowering they are for all people, particularly those with varying disabilities and or particular challenges in day-to-day life.”

Their mission is to empower people with special needs through artistic expression and sensory exploration. Monroe shared that this program allows for freedom of expression, so they can meet people where they are, and they are easily able to adapt so that others feel comfortable.

Partnered with WUSA9, we were inspired by Step Va and its commitment to helping others in the community. We wanted to donate $1,000 to help towards their initiative.

Easterns Automotive Group and WUSA 9 are always here to help. If you know someone in the DC, Maryland, and Virginia area worthy of being helped or recognized, please contact Allison Seymour on social media. #GetUpDC #GetUpGiveBack

Community Forklift is a nonprofit that gathers unwanted items and restores building materials for those in need and their marketplace. The COO/CEO, Nancy Meyer, joined Allison Seymour to share some of their incredible work.

With their program, the Home Essentials, they give free home appliances and building goods to those in need. Some of their favorite projects include a laundry room they created for William Wirt Middle school and the blessing box, which is a large pantry filled with food for those in need. They also partnered with national nonprofit Uniting Us, a group of veterans who uses art for healing. A lot of the materials used to create art with Uniting Us come from community Fork Lift.

We love that Community Forklift is repurposing salvage items to give to those in need. As a part of Get Up give Back partnered with WUSA 9 We are excited to donate $1,000 to this fantastic cause. This donation will help Community Forklift reduce disposal costs, keep items out of landfills, and support others in need.

Easterns Automotive Group and WUSA 9 are always here to help. If you know someone in the DC, Maryland, and Virginia area that is worthy of being helped or recognized, please contact at @ReeseWaters on social media. #GetUpDC #GetUpGiveBack

With everyone confined to their homes since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, there has been a surge in domestic violence cases across the U.S. This is where nonprofits, like DC Safe, step up to create a safe space and help survivors during a crisis.?

DC Safe stands for Survivors and Advocates for Empowerment and is the only 24/7 crisis intervention agency for domestic violence in Washington, DC. They are made up of several teams and programs dedicated to helping survivors in various ways including emergency lock changes, food for the weekend, safe housing for survivors, emergency transportation to the shelter, rental assistance, and more.

Reese Waters was able to chat with Natalie Oterio, the co-founder and executive director, and learned that their biggest need currently, is food cards to give to survivors and their families staying at their shelter. Natalie expressed that the Safe Space Crisis Shelter sees about 300 to 400 families a year and with an influx staying due to the holidays they simply need food cards to provide to their families. Easterns Automotive Group wanted to ensure that DC Safe was able to get the food cards they needed to keep doing great work in the community. In partnership with WUSA 9?s Get Up and Give Back DC, Reese was able to present DC Safe with $1000 to help them get the food cards for the families at there shelter.?

There is no donation to small. DC Safe has a breakdown on their website sharing exactly how your donation can help. To learn more about ways you can donate or volunteer with the DC Safe please visit – www.dcsafe.org

Easterns Automotive Group and WUSA 9 are always here to help. If you know someone in the DC, Maryland, and Virginia area that is worthy of being helped or recognized, please contact at @ReeseWaters on social media. #GetUpDC #GetUpGiveBack

The sacrifice that veterans make everyday for our country deserves more than a thank you, and a nonprofit whose mission is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for veterans in need is United Soldiers and Sailors of America.

Reese Waters was able to sit down with United Soldiers and Sailors of America?s president, John Yori, to hear more about the organization and their efforts in the metro area. Seeing the needs of veterans first hand, their programs, services, and events were created to have a direct impact on the wellbeing of veteran lives. It is an all volunteer organization that services food insecure and homeless veterans in the Washington, DC area, supplying them with toiletries, hosting food drives, and providing winter survival kits.?

Veterans have served to protect us and it is important that we protect them in return. That?s why, in partnership with Get Up DC and @WUSA9, we were excited to donate $1000 to United Soldiers and Sailors of America with Reese Waters, so that they can continue to enhance the quality of life for our veterans?

To learn more about ways you can donate or volunteer with the United Soldiers and Sailors of America please visit – www.usasoa.org

Easterns Automotive Group and WUSA 9 are always here to help. If you know someone in the DC, Maryland, and Virginia area that is worthy of being helped or recognized, please contact at @ReeseWaters on social media. #GetUpDC #GetUpGiveBack

COVID-19 is continuing to provide its fair share of challenges.? One of these is virtual learning also called distance learning for children in school.? Kids have had to adjust to everyday life as they know it and now learn from the comfort of their own homes.? Unfortunately, not all children have the same resources that make it easy to attend virtual schooling.

Two parents named Jess and Al Berrellez of Gaithersburg, Maryland took it upon themselves to create a nonprofit organization called Desks by Dads.? It was created to help children of low-income families.? They collect and build free desks to donate them to students in the community.??Children deserve to have dedicated, effective, and comfortable workstations to support virtual learning.? Having a proper work environment plays a huge role in a student’s overall success.

Throughout the pandemic, the Berrellez couple has been hard at work donating the desks that they have built and collected to nearby schools.? To date, over 37 desks have been given to the students that need them the most.? They have gone above and beyond to show the community that they care during this troubled time.

Reese Waters of WUSA 9’s Get Up DC was able to chat with Jess Berrellez on Zoom to discuss the Desks by Dads movement.? It was then when he informed her that she was being featured on their Get Up Give Back segment that is sponsored by Easterns Automotive Group.? He proceeded to surprise her with a donation for $1,000 on behalf of Easterns to continue carrying out their mission by building more desks.? Desks by Dads is currently accepting volunteers as well as donations.? If you want to learn more about Desks by Dads and how you can get involved, please click here.

Easterns Automotive Group and WUSA 9 are always here to help. If you know someone in the DC, Maryland, and Virginia area that is worthy of being helped or recognized, please contact at @ReeseWaters on social media. #GetUpDC #GetUpGiveBack

Youtube Link ? https://youtu.be/5aCxGn6DeNQ

COVID-19 has impacted every business known to man.? Most in negative ways but some in positive ways.? According to Keith Jackson of Gearin? Up Bicycles, the bicycle industry has been doing extremely well.? Gearin? Up Bicycles is Washington D.C.?s only nonprofit community bike shop but they also serve the community as well.? Their purpose is to create career development opportunities and teach essential workplace skills to teenagers from underserved communities while encouraging cycling as a practical, healthy means of transportation.? Gearin? Up provides access to quality affordable used bicycles for those in need and hosts various community outreach programs throughout the year.

For the recent Get Up Give Back segment sponsored by Easterns Automotive Group, Reese Waters of Get Up DC (WUSA 9) decided to highlight their importance to the Washington D.C. youth.? Gearin? Up Bicycles has played a major role in getting teens active while teaching them essential business skills.? They have an Earn-A-Bike program where youth ages 12-18 can volunteer and have the opportunity to build and keep their bike.? Jackson sat down with Waters to discuss just how profitable a career in bicycles can be.? Prior to COVID-19, Gearin? Up Bikes was selling 12 bicycles per month since then they?ve been selling between 55 to 60. bikes per month.? This is a true testament to the hard work that the children have been putting in.

During the conversation, Waters told Jackson just how impressed he was by their hard work.? It was then that he made Jackson aware of the $1,000 donation that he was giving to Gearin’ Up Bicycles on behalf of WUSA 9, Get Up DC, and in conjunction with Easterns Automotive Group.? This money will help them get more children involved in the program to keep things going.? Please visit http://gearinupbicycles.org to learn more about their youth programs and bike shop.

Easterns Automotive Group and WUSA 9 are always here to help. If you know someone in the DC, Maryland, and Virginia area that is worthy of being helped or recognized, please contact at?@ReeseWaters?on social media. #GetUpDC #GetUpGiveBack

YouTube Link ? https://youtu.be/J0EFPTNd8OM